Stockholm: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday thanked Sweden for backing India s claim for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, an official statement said. Speaking at the state banquet hosted by King Carl XVI Gustaf, the president said: "Our countries have similar views on many issues of regional and global concern.

We have been co-operating closely in the United Nations and other multilateral fora - where India appreciates the support that we have received and continue to receive from Sweden. "We are grateful for your endorsement of India s rightful claim to permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council and for your pro-active efforts that helped India achieve observer status in the Arctic Council during the period of Sweden s chairmanship." This is the first time an Indian president is visiting Sweden.

Mukherjee said India attaches "great importance" to its long standing friendship with Sweden. "Though our two nations are geographically distant from each other, we are bound by our common commitment to democratic values and practice," he said. "I am confident that the bilateral agreements that we have signed during my visit will lead to further fruitful engagement in the many fields where India and Sweden have obvious complementarities," he added.